–Palm Springs. I’ve been dying to take a girls’ trip to the Ace Hotel & Swim Club. Carpe diem, ladies?! Currently: High of 77 degrees and sunny.

Ace Hotel Palm Springs

–The Vines Resort & Spa in Mendoza, Argentina. Yoga in the vineyards at the base of the Andes? A 9-hour slow-grilled ribeye? Sommelier at the ready? If I’m daydreaming, might as well go for it … Currently: High of 93 degrees and sunny.

THINGS CREATIVE DIRECTOR EMMA DEVINE’S WATCHING ON PBS:

I’ve always been a PBS fan, but I signed up as a member a few months ago as a part of the AETN Foundation New Member Challenge. Here’s what I’m looking forward to watching during the Winter/Spring 2018 lineup:

–Victoria (Season 2): I am a sucker for anything about the royal family, but Queen Victoria is my favorite. Season 1 was all about how she took the throne; Season 2 is about the start of Victoria and Albert’s family.

–Agatha Raisin (Season 1): My mom and I enjoy listening to this cozy mystery series on audiobooks on car journeys together. I’m excited that they have made it into a TV show! We also love “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”

–Call the Midwife (Season 7): This is a great show about midwives and families in London’s East End during the ’50s and ’60s. Two of my friends from college and I would always meet up on Sunday nights to watch this show, and even though now we are all living in different in cities, we all still tune in on Sundays to watch it together from afar.

Aidan Turner is “Poldark” and handsome.

–Poldark: I came in late to this show, but I am glad I can still watch episodes on the AETN Passport app. I have to keep taking breaks because all the 18th century drama makes me stressed, but I keep coming back for Aidan Turner.

THINGS ASSOCIATE EDITOR WYNDHAM WYETH’S USING TO GET THROUGH HIS SOBER JANUARY CHALLENGE:

Along with a handful of friends, I’m abstaining from alcohol throughout the month of January—a ‘Drynuary,” if you will. That means no pale ales, no Manhattans, not even a glass of wine with dinner. The consequence that comes with taking a tipple? A polar plunge. In order to avoid that, here’s what I’m falling back on for support:

–MiO Water Enhancer. I actually started using MiO almost a year ago in an effort to cut back on soda. Favorite flavor? Wicked Blue Citrus.

–Exercise. Now this is a challenge I’ve been meaning to tackle for a while. I’ve tried and failed to start a regular exercise regimen in the past, but I’ve heard from others that cutting out alcohol makes it much easier to make it to the gym.

–Board Game Nights. My friends and I have developed an affinity for tabletop gaming over the last few years, sampling everything from Settlers of Catan to Dungeons & Dragons. So my fellow sober peeps decided to institute a weekly alcohol-free game night to give ourselves an opportunity to hang out and socialize without feeling pressure to imbibe.

–Mocktails. They’ll come in especially handy when hanging out with friends whose New Year’s resolutions don’t require them to become teetotalers.

THINGS SENIOR EDITOR JORDAN P. HICKEY IS READING ALOUD:

–East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North.Over the holidays, my family and I read a handful of stories from this gorgeous collection of Norwegian folktales. Suffice to say, I think we both set the foundation for a new holiday tradition, and firmly established that none of us were born to be voice actors.

–Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. Although I’m much more inclined toward silent reading, I’ve spent the past few weeks reading Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World aloud to my significant other. Although it may not displace The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as my favorite Murakami book (and one of my all-time favorite novels), the act of reading aloud gives this work new meaning—and an added significance that I’m sure will linger long after the book’s been returned to the shelf.

About

Arkansas Life magazine digs deep into The Natural State each month, unearthing surprising stories and exposing readers to new facets of a familiar place. To put it simply, we’re naturally curious—and we’re proud, like you, to call this place home.